Press release: Light:Guard completes ADL equipment for existing plants

Light:Guard GmbH has equipped all existing systems commissioned from it with demand-controlled night marking (BNK). The use of ADLS on wind turbines is prescribed in Germany by the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). The deadline for implementation for wind farm operators expires at the end of this year, after which penalties are threatened. Light:Guard can thus create economic security for its customers.

On-demand night marking (BNK) is a technology that can be used to reduce the flashing of wind turbines to a minimum. Light:Guard is one of the leading providers in this field. This works by the BNK system monitoring the airspace around a wind farm. Only when an aircraft is nearby are the obstruction lights of the systems activated. This minimizes the impact of wind power on the environment through light emissions.

Existing plants are systems that have already been built. The systems equipped by Light:Guard meet the requirements of the General Administrative Regulation for the Marking of Aviation Obstacles (AVV). This requires the complete installation and certification of the ADLS systems in the wind farms. The certificate is proof of site-specific suitability by the manufacturer or the type examination centre.

The Light:Guard portfolio includes around 4,000 existing systems from all manufacturers. Of these, about 500 are still supplied with BNK signals via radar, the rest by the Germany-wide transponder receiver network. The turbines are spread over approx. 750 wind farms in all federal states. Of these parks, about 500 are currently already dark, and the trend is rising sharply.

"In some parks, the work of the respective state aviation authority is still missing for the dark connection, where there is currently a large rush," explains Light:Guard Managing Director Willi Lehmann. "Other wind farms still have their own open points. With the exception of special cases, it is only due to the processing by the authorities. But here, too, we are now coming to a conclusion very quickly after some lengthy coordination."

Meanwhile, there is still uncertainty in the industry with regard to the penalty described in the EEG. It is not yet defined in more detail at what point wind turbines are considered to be equipped with an ADLS system. The Labelling Working Group of the German Wind Energy Association (BWE) is therefore currently working on a more precise definition. This is intended to serve as a design aid for grid operators. Willi Lehmann emphasizes: "With installation, site-specific proof and submission of the necessary documents, the wind farm operator should have fulfilled its obligation."

"Since the introduction of the BNK obligation in Germany in 2020, we have been experiencing turbulent times. Legislators had high expectations, but the goals were often unachievable. Therefore, the deadline for the obligation had to be postponed several times," explains Felix Weiss, Sales Manager of Light:Guard GmbH. "This was often stressful for both parking operators and ADLS providers. We would like to express our gratitude for the trust and understanding of our customers and partners. For 2025, we have set ourselves the goal of standardizing processes with plant manufacturers. The BNK equipment should run smoothly for new plants. Thanks to the learning curve of recent years, we can now equip existing and new systems in record time. Four weeks between receipt of the order and finished installation and certification are possible in areas with high coverage by our system. If there are parks that have not currently installed or certified an ADLS system, we offer solutions at short notice."

"The most important thing for us is to protect our customers and clients from the impending penalty," says Eric Schacht, Head of Technical Support and Service at Light:Guard GmbH. "I am very proud of our team, which has worked tirelessly on installation, commissioning, surveying and documentation. Next, our focus will be on constantly improving the quality of our systems. The goal is to prove the functionality and clearly document the claim to a high light-off time. We make this information available to both customers and authorities."